Update 9: Enemies, Fanart, and a very cool Artist Cameo

Today’s big news is a surprise so late-breaking we’re still pleasantly shocked ourselves. (It all came together last week.) The Alchemist’s Treasure sleeve ($100+ tiers) will feature special cover art by Ayami Kojima.

Even IGA was surprised! Here's what he told us: "Honestly, I really didn’t think we could convince her to join the production, so I’m overjoyed by her participation.
And really, the level of involvement isn’t really important for me. The most important thing is just being able to work closely with my old friends again. We created something amazing before and to get one more golden opportunity to do this again makes me so happy. Thank you Ayami. Thank you for making time where you really had none to create this art and add your style to the project.

And here's Kojima herself: "Unfortunately I can only offer a small amount of time to show my appreciation and excitement for IGA's new project, so I'm happy to know that the art team working on it is so talented—and, more than that, that they really seem to have passion for the material they're working on. It gives me confidence that this will be a game that fans will really love, and I know I personally am looking forward to seeing how great it will be."

While she’s still too busy to commit to anything more than this art, things just feel a little more right around here now that the character designer behind so many great Igavania games has a place in the campaign. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with.

The sleeve illustrated by Kojima will be included in all Alchemist's Treasure tiers at $100+. It's an outer case that will hold the physical release (in its existing case, with backer-exclusive slipcase), the soundtrack CD, and the retro strategy booklet. It will fit snugly into the Collector's Box ($250+ tiers) which we'll talk more about later.

29 achievements! So close, and yet—well, OK, you're just really close. Since Sunday's Tumblr update you've picked up the Clay Model (check out this achievement-clinching IGA bust) and 200 Overall Fanart achievements, along with the Weekly Comics Challenge. Here's the updated list:

Right now Tumblr likes/reblogs (for this post) and Twitter retweets are looking pretty vulnerable, if you ask me. And if you guys get either of those... well, that's 30, which is a nice, round number.

(Just to help you guys out, since I can't draw, sing, paint, act, or dress myself: Today I'm planning to drive around town in search of a gargoyle to Instagram. I guess I'll also need to sign up for an Instagram account.)

You're almost to the door of the dungeon—time to get that key! Once you've reached the first dungeon stretch goal and earned the Basement Key, you'll be able to see just what's been lurking at $3 million. (You might even catch a glimpse of what's next.)

For today's concept art we've got three enemies and, as a special bonus, some words from IGA about each one! (Everything listed here is still conceptual, and could change before the final game.)

Astarot: The 29th demon in the Lesser Key of Solomon. Covered in a gigantic dragon, he holds a poisonous snake in his right hand. Of all the wandering demons in the castle, Astarot is particularly strong. His powerful fire attack is said to have developed from his study of dragons.

Mafeius: The 39th demon, said to appear with the body of a crow. This particular demon does not possess a lot of power, but his "death from above" attacks will force you to remember his name.

Buer: The 10th demon, a lion-head that rolls forward on the legs of a lamb.

These demons show their power through the crystals embedded in their body—watching the crystals could tell you just how dangerous each enemy in the castle is.

You did it! You submitted 30 (out of the 25 required) fanart submissions for last week's theme of "Levels". There was a lot of great stuff which you can browse on the Bloodstained Tumblr, but here's one of our favorites:

“Amid the graveyard within the vast castle, a time-controlling demon awaits.
Behind him, enormous gates with an hourglass on each side.
The demon manipulates time, rewinding and fast-forwarding at will.
Bodies emerge from the graves to attack, but by the demon’s time-bending, their attacks vary as their forms switch between zombies and skeletons.
(An idea I had)
Modern platformers don’t just have flat surfaces, but also have stages with slopes and shaped surfaces, so I hope Bloodstained has the same kind of dynamic surface to make it really fresh and interesting.”

Our second Backer Fanart Achievement is 25 pieces of fanart due May 30th! This week's topic is simple: "Monsters." Remember to post them on Tumblr using the hashtag #IGAVANIA so we can count them!

Just to get you inspired, we pulled a few more great pieces of art from the hundreds(!) we've seen so far.

Colin Moriarty of Kinda Funny Games was kind enough to host the livestream during which we launched this Kickstarter. He also gave us burritos. So we thought we'd (preemptively) return the favor by recording a podcast with him. You should check it out:

Chris Kohler of WIRED sat down with IGA for an interview while he was in the states to film the Kickstarter video. In addition to featuring a wonderfully foreboding portrait of IGA sitting at a throne, the article is filled with industry insight. Also, well, the end is about you guys, so it only seems fair to bring it to your attention:

Comments

Reading that Ayami Kojima is going to be a part of this by doing the art on the cover sleeve just made my night! Also I am loving the designs. Even though I think Astaroth still has room for some small improvement, even though it's a really cool design. I think maybe adding a tiny bit more weight on his shoulders or widening his shoulders might help.

I am happy to know that you are tracking the list and hope that Iga San is on the know about it....but we really want to see more from her in the future .

Please convey my personal regards to Iga San and I will be updating my list over and over....You guys made me open a Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram accounts and if you push me further I might start illustrating and acting to unlock achievements :)

Finally, I hope that you had noticed my Amiibo character SG....(Hehehe) I wold really love a Buer Amiibo....

How about you contact these guys and start a new goal for physical rewards? They are making an astonishing job with Amiibo modification and I bet they will do crazy stuff with these game's characters.

I like Ayami Kojima's work, and it's a very good news.
But seriously? Why are you limiting her work to the $100+ backers? Enough of this! Could you just put her cover art in every back cover, please? :/

What's next, a new playable character, but only if you pick the $150+ tier, then a secret room with Dracula for the $250 tier?

Superbacker

I echo the sentiments of others who have already posted about this. If Ayami Kojima could sign the box along with Iga and Yamane, I would be incredibly incredibly happy and make it even more special. Pretty please with sugar on top!

Ayami Kojima is one of my favorite artists and seing her participation, even if only a light one, has gotten me giddy with excitment for this project! I'd also love an oportunity to get Kojima's sign on the cover if at all possible!

Incredible news that Kojima is going to be part of the project, even if her participation is limited. Although I love the new art, Ayami is an iconic artist of the Iganvanias, so now we have two amazing artists in this awesome game.

Oh my god, if I hadn't pledged $100 already, this would have definitely persuaded me to do so! Ayami Kojima is one of my absolute favorite artists and I can't wait to see what she decides to do with the special cover art (I'm dying to see Miriam in her style!).

Superbacker

Yay Kojima special cover art!!!, boo on not reaching Achievement #30 and finally getting a good solid look in the castle basement (should also mention that by my count we're approximately 12 -14 vines away from getting the 50 Vine achievement), either way I just upped my pledge from $60 to $100.

Psyched for the collector's box details. This kickstarter has been a blast so far. Wishing Iga and the rest of the team the best of luck, it sounds like you've all got the passion required to make another SotN here.